Trusting someone else to take care of your brainchild is never
easy. That’s precisely what outsourcing software development
demands of any business owner. There are many factors that
prompt a business to come to the decision of outsourcing its
development needs. The prospects of low operational costs,
bringing focus to core business functions, banking on the
expertise of software specialists, flexibility, and risk management
associated with development outsourcing are enough to gravitate
any business towards it.
But the true success of this work model is realized when you
choose the right people to partner up with and you have a proper
process set up to govern the development process. So, how do
you get successful with outsourcing development? There’s no
magical solution to this puzzle, only few advices to heed to and a
few pitfalls to avoid. We’ve got you covered regarding this, with
some tips to remember here:

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O1

SET YOUR BUDGET AND SCHEDULE

When you’re approaching an outsourcing service provider, remember that
you are asking for their help with something that you need. You are in the
position to set down the terms and conditions that you want for your
project’s completion. You should be absolutely clear about when you want
the software development to be done and how much you’re willing to pay
for it.
The next step would be to contact different vendors and invite proposals
and quotes from them. Keep in mind though, the lowest bid price isn’t
always the best choice, especially if it’s offered at the cost of the software
quality. A Poorly built application may get you on the road for the moment,
but it will keep spewing issues here and there in the long run. You may
have saved money for now, but you will keep spending money in the future
fixing the issues.
To avoid recurring problems with your software, be willing to pay for the
quality, even if that means extending your budget by a little.

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02

VERIFY THE CREDIBILITY OF THE VENDOR

One of the most important things you can do is to start a conversation to
determine the level of communication and engagement that you can expect
from the vendor. If you aren’t getting the attention you expect from the
vendor, or if you are having communication issues with the vendor, this
may be a red flag to avoid the relationship.
Do everything you can to establish the trustworthiness of the people you’ll
be outsourcing your software development to. Your own mind will be at
ease knowing that you’re in good company.

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03

DISCUSS THOROUGHLY WITH YOUR
CHOSEN VENDOR

Many of the headaches that crop up during outsourcing software
development are because of improper communication at the start of the
project. Sometimes, the business owner hasn’t defined their project
expectations clearly to the vendor, sometimes the vendor hasn’t outlined
what they can or can’t do in advance to the client, sometimes there is no
prior mutual agreement between the two parties about what deliverables
will be provided and what process will be followed.
These are issues that can be fixed by having good, thorough discussion
sessions before the beginning of the project, a step that’s often missed in
the hurry to get the project started. Don’t make the mistake of skipping
this integral step. Have a word with different members of the vendor team,
from executives to the developers who’ll be working on your project. This
will be a great way to set the tone of your prospective business
relationship.

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DISCUSS THOROUGHLY WITH YOUR CHOSEN
VENDOR...
Among the many other things you can discuss, do talk about the goals,
scope, and even your personal expectations for the project. Go over the
requirements documentation together to ensure that nothing is missed. Ask
the developers to help you understand their design and development plan
for the software. Clarify your financial goals for the project at this point as
well. For example, ask the vendor if their quote covers any
changes/updates in the initial software requirements. If not, then how
much extra could these modifications cost.
Peruse your contract carefully, if something seems amiss to you, convey
this to your vendor. The idea is to make sure that both parties are on the
same page regarding the project development. There should be an
alignment between how the business owner and software vendor perceive
the project. Only then can you expect the final product to match the
original vision for the product.

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04

BE ACTIVE IN PARTICIPATION AND
COMMUNICATION

No, you don’t take a backseat after you’ve outsourced your project to
another company! It only means that you’ve offloaded yourself of certain
project responsibilities. You are still required to keep yourself engaged
throughout the development cycle. This involves regularly communicating
with your offshore developers, checking status reports, reviewing quality
of the work, ensuring that deadlines are being met, and so on.
Your vendor should provide you convenient channels for easy
communication. From instant messengers to video conferencing, all options
should be on the table. Your active involvement will show your
commitment to the project and toward your development partner. This, in
turn, will push them to put in their best efforts.

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05

ENCOURAGE DEVELOPERS TO OFFER
SUGGESTIONS

Okay, so price, time, and effort may have been the key reasons for you to
outsource your project, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that you also wanted to capitalize
on the knowledge and experience of the specialists in this field! If you
forget this, you will end up missing out on the best part of the deal.
Seek ideas, suggestions, and inputs from your developers on your
envisioned product. Because they might have worked on similar projects
before, they would know what improvements can be made on your project,
or what extraneous details can be removed from your project.

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06

KEEP REVIEWING THE APPLICATION
CODE

If you can tell good code from bad code on your own, great! You would
have no problem assessing the code quality delivered by the software
vendor. In case you have no clue about coding, it’d be good if you could
get someone’s help in reviewing the application code. Having an in-house
IT specialist to help with this could be really beneficial.
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